2020 NDN Half Marathon: Nathan Martin gets past defending champ McCandless to win
In his first time in Naples, Nathan Martin liked the downtown road course for the same reason runners from all over the country are drawn to town in mid-January – it’s flat and it’s fast.
So flat and so fast that Martin had an extra kick left in the final mile of the Naples Daily News Half Marathon. The 30-year-old from Jackson, Michigan, pulled away at the end to win the 31st edition of the race in his first time in the field.
Martin won in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 36.19 seconds Sunday, beating last year’s winner Tyler McCandless by 14 seconds. Going for his third win in four years, McCandless of Boulder, Colorado, couldn’t keep up with Martin late in the race and finished in 1:03:50.53.
“I knew I was getting tired, but I knew Tyler was sticking on me pretty hard,” Martin said. “I knew if I gave it a hard push I had a shot to break away. That’s exactly what I did with a mile to go. I broke away and didn’t look back.”
Kaitlin Goodman of Providence, Rhode Island, won the women's race in 1:13.53.
More:Naples Half Marathon: Jeannie Rice, Gene Fykes show age isn't an obstacle
More:Sunday's at Naples Daily News Half Marathon a last chance for Olympic Trials hopefuls to qualify
More:Naples Half Marathon: Love and love of running bonds couple who qualified for Boston Marathon
Martin and McCandless, 33, battled back and forth for the first 12 of the race’s 13.1 miles.
The eventual winner broke free from the pack about three miles in and McCandless followed. The two runners finished more than 2 minutes ahead of third place, Ryan Smith, 24, of Auburn, Maine (1:06:09.68).
“I knew the field was stacked with elite guys, so I just played it cautious the first couple miles,” Martin said. “Then I realized, ‘This pace is just a tad bit slow, I have to start going.’ Tyler went with me.”
Though he didn’t win, McCandless ran his fastest time in Naples. He finishes 27 seconds faster than when he won in 2019.
“We had a great race together,” McCandless said. “We were very evenly matched. He made a stronger push right at the 12-mile mark and I just couldn’t cover it. But I still ran a 4:37 the last mile, so I was flying. (Martin) had a terrific final mile as well.”
Joe Stilin, 30, of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, finished in fourth place in 1:06:41.69. Craig Lautenslager, 26, of Euless, Texas, was fifth in 1:07:47.44.
Martin and McCandless will see each other again in about five weeks. Both have qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon, Feb. 29 in Atlanta. It will be the second time at the Trials for Martin and third for McCandless.
The Naples Daily News Half Marathon is certified by USA Track and Field, so any men running faster than 1:04:00 on Sunday would have an official qualifying time for the Trials. However, Martin and McCandless already had qualified before coming to Naples.
Both runners are confident they can make the top 10 at the Olympic Trials, but only the top three make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
After Sunday’s race McCandless said he was happy to be back in Naples, and happy to run as a father for the first time. His wife, Kristin, and their 6-month-old son, Levi, greeted him at the finish line.
“I love Boulder, Colorado, but the winter gets hard,” McCandless said. “The holidays are really fun, and having this to look forward to just a couple of weeks afterward keeps you focused. It gets you excited to come down here.
“It’s palm trees, it’s warm weather, it’s good friends, a great community, an awesome event. How can you not enjoy that?”